ISLAMABAD: A 50 percent fare concession has been offered by South Air on flights for passengers who have some kind of disability. In other words, South Air disability discount Pakistan is amongst the very few Pakistani airlines that have started offering a discount on fares to passengers suffering from some sort of disability. It is clear from the above statement that this fare concession policy is part of customer-focused approach towards passengers that the aviation industry of Pakistan badly required in past years.
The discount is 50 percent and it can turn the air travel from being too expensive to affordable for those who are facing economic hardships in their day to day life.
More Than Just Saving Money
The offer of fifty percent off on an airline fare appears simple enough. The significance is much more than that.
For disabled Pakistanis, flying involves challenges that reinforce each other:
- Economic challenges – cost of airfare on an economic class of people who earn less and have higher living costs
- Physical challenges – airport facilities and the boarding process requiring extra help not always forthcoming
- Self-sufficiency challenges – reliance on family members or carers to undertake what is done by sighted and physically abled people on their own
The South Air disability discount Pakistan program tackles the issue of cost head-on as being the most easily quantified barrier, but it also indicates the airline’s consideration for differently abled passengers to be a key customer group instead of an afterthought.
If one important cost deterrent is removed, its downstream impact will be magnified. More mobility will lead to greater opportunities for employment in other cities. More independence will result in less dependency on relatives when it comes to decision-making related to travel. Convenience will ensure that health care, education, and family ties remain accessible.
Message to the Industry through South Air’s Policy
While South Air disability discount policy in Pakistan may mean little to the airline itself, it means much more for the rest of Pakistan’s aviation industry. In this context, there is a lot of catching up for the aviation sector in Pakistan to do when compared with international standards of inclusive service design.
South Air’s 50 percent concession will act as a benchmark. Other airlines based in Pakistan and offering flights on similar routes will be forced to live up to an implicit benchmark, rather than anything laid down as a rule or law.
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Inclusive Aviation Makes Commercial Sense
South Air’s initiative for providing discounts on flights for persons with disabilities in Pakistan is yet another example of good business sense, which the advocates of inclusive aviation have always highlighted.
Persons with disabilities in Pakistan are not a small segment of passengers. It is estimated that around 10 to 15 percent of Pakistan’s population comprises persons with different types of disabilities – and this is millions of passengers whose travel requirements, their escorts and family members constitute good commercial potential once financial constraints are overcome.
When a passenger with a disability is able to afford flights due to enhanced accessibility, it does not only constitute an extra ticket but also means a journey involving many others.
A Big Impact From a Small Policy
The South Air disability concession in Pakistan is just one policy from just one airline company. However, in Pakistan, where inclusive design in both public and private sectors is still an anomaly rather than the norm, individual policies implemented by committed organisations can wield a disproportionate power of raising expectations and creating precedents for a larger systemic change.
For the differently abled people of Pakistan who have seen the fares on offer for domestic flights and concluded that flying was not meant for them, this 50 percent concession makes all the difference.
Nayab Fatima is a media professional specializing in fact-based journalism, research, and analytical reporting on technology, telecom, aviation, and automobiles.
